Repair work on the twin bridges across the Waitaki River between Kurow and Hakataramea has been completed about a week ahead of schedule.
That means the State Highway 83 bridges should be open without delays for the Christmas holiday rush as thousands of people pour into the Waitaki Valley for their summer holidays.
The work was required following scouring around a pier in early November which weakened the structure. Repair work started on November 21 and was scheduled to be completed by this Friday.
The damage caused the bridges to be closed for two nights for safety reasons before the New Zealand Transport Agency put in floodlighting so they could be monitored after dark and stay open.
Agency Canterbury highways operations manager Peter Connors said the repair work involved driving four piles and reconnecting the existing pier to the new foundations. This technique was successfully used earlier this year to secure another bridge pier.
While the work was being done, the bridge was closed for up to 10 minutes at certain periods during the day.
"We appreciate the patience of bridge users while this work was carried out, as it did at times cause delays of up to 10 minutes, although most motorists understood the need for these," he said.
Good weather was a big factor in the job being finished ahead of schedule as were the efforts of those working at the site.
"It is good to have this job wrapped up prior to the start of the busy Christmas-New Year holiday period," he said.
The single-lane 131-year-old bridges are due to be replaced with two-lane concrete structures by 2014-15 with funding available to start work next financial year.
